The present invention relates generally to a telematic terminal which produces and edits a mixed mode document transmitted by the telematic terminal.
Comite Consultatif International Telegraphique et Telephonique (abbreviated CCITT hereinafter) defines telematic services, used for a group 4 (G4) facsimile apparatus (abbreviated FAX hereinafter), teletex, and videotex, and provides various definitions about them. A mixed mode document is one of the telematic services, on the same page of which characters (and also letters) and figure are mixedly arranged but individually transmitted to a receiver terminal. Generally, the character is converted into and transmitted as code data, and the figure is converted into and transmitted as raster data. Each page of a mixed mode document is divided into a plurality of blocks, on which the characters and figures are respectively allotted, the block used for the character being called a text block, and the block used for the figure being called a raster block. It is necessary to define the text block and/or the raster block before arranging the character or the figure with a predetermined format on a desired block.
The CCITT defines a protocol of the mixed mode in the T.501 in which a value defining a format is predetermined for the character and figure. That is, each of the characters and figures can be arranged with either a normal format or an abnormal format. The normal format is a mandatory format for each telematic terminal, so that the receiver terminal can always accept a mixed mode document arranged with the normal format received from a transmitter terminal. However, the abnormal format is optional for each telematic terminal, so that the receiver terminal can accept a character arranged with the abnormal format only when the receiver terminal is equipped with the value of the abnormal format. In this case, the character arranged with the abnormal format can be converted into the raster data, and then transmitted to the receiver. Incidentally, the raster data of the abnormal format can be converted into the normal format by the receiver terminal. As a terminal or machine complying with the above-described protocol must always be able to process a normal format document, the terminal must possess what shall be called "standard resources." Because the abnormal format is optional and is not required to be able to be processed by a terminal, some terminals will have "optional resources" to process the abnormal format.
The letter interval of the character has a value of the normal format of 10 letters/inch and values of the abnormal format of 6, 12, and 15 letters/inch. The line interval of the character has values of the normal format of 3, 4, 6 and 12 lines/inch and a value of the abnormal format of 8 lines/inch. The resolution of the raster data has values of the normal format of 240 and 300 picture elements (pixels)/inch, and values of the abnormal format of 200, 400, 600 and 1200 pixels/inch.
However, the conventional telematic terminal has the following disadvantages:
1. It is troublesome to define a text block and/or raster block whenever an operator attempts to input a character and/or a figure to a mixed mode document. It is not necessary to define a text block when the operator inputs a letter to a word processor. However, when the telematic terminal is used as the word processor, the operator has to define the text block, which is troublesome; PA1 2. The receiver terminal cannot freely edit a character transmitted as the raster data, whereas the receiver terminal can freely edit the character transmitted as the code data; and PA1 3. The raster data which is converted from an abnormal format into a normal format is often exposed to deterioration. For example, the resolution with the abnormal value 400 ppi (pel per inch) is converted to the resolution with the normal value 300 ppi.